Smyrna Town Council discussed several items at their Nov. 5 meeting other than the 2013 budget, previously reported in last week's Smyrna/Clayton Sun-Times.

Here are a few tidbits from the meeting:

Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month

Smyrna Town Council approved a proclamation recognizing November as Pancreatic Awareness Month.

The proclamation states that in 2012, an estimated 43,920 people will be diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in the United States and 37,390 will die from the disease. With the signing of the proclamation, council "encourages all citizens to support those currently affected by pancreatic cancer, and help raise awareness towards finding a cure for this devastating disease."

Bonding requirements helping developers

Council approved a motion for temporary modification of bonding requirements for residential developments. Town Manager Dave Hugg, as he has the past two years, asked council to approve the modifications to help "people build but slowly." He said some projects in the area such as "Hickory Hollow" are starting to show some life.

With the approval, the underlying requirement is still in effect but developers are able to make progress.

Farmers Market update

Hugg provided an update on the Smyrna Farmers Market, which concluded its first season on Oct. 27.

"The gross vendor sales were about $38,000, which is a pretty healthy number. There were 15 vendors on average each week," Hugg said. "Smyrna and Millville were the two most successful new markets this year. We've received a lot of kudos on that."

There will be a special Holiday Farmers Market Saturday, Dec. 1 from 1 to 4 p.m., leading into holiday events including children's activities, caroling, tree lighting, and a visit from Santa all in front of Town Hall.

Criminal mischief up in town

Police Chief Wil Bordley told council that reports of criminal mischief are up. He said the increase isn't anything unusual and is actually part of a trend the police are noticing in their reports.

After the meeting, Bordley said a lot of stuff is up including thefts, domestic cases and robberies, but they're all part of an increased trend the department is noticing.

"The only thing I can contribute this to is the economy," Bordley said.